Rather than the conversational question that is often asked in passing, this can be a useful question of inquiry and reflection – How are you ? How do we answer this – is it a question of our state of mind, our health, our well-being, our emotional state, our circumstances, or relational state, our spiritual practice?

At first it is useful to uncover all of these. To notice what arises to the surface, what grabs for your attention – and with each arising you can let it fall back into itself, here where you are.

As we remain open and ask this question how am I? or how are you? – it can be a deeper meeting, beyond name and form, circumstance and states – what is really here?

Who is really here?

As the arising and falling drops away, the question ‘how are you?’ or ‘how am I’, can transform into ‘who are you really?’, ‘who am I?’, ‘who is this one?’

What a beautiful opportunity for discovery, here where we really meet each other and ourselves, as this one.

I’d love to hear what you discover and you are welcome as always to contact me via email, or phone mgs or via the Living Alignment fb page or through the private fb group.

Are you willing to be seen?
Are you willing to show the world your real face,
the one without the mask,
without the agenda,
without hiding behind the context of your life?
Who you are is so precious, real, valuable, just as you are.
Let your authentic self be seen.
The rough, pretty, flawed, precious self,
this that contains all,
timeless, ageless.
Deep below the mud of perceived imperfection,
is the face of love,
the face of silence,
the face of beauty,
the face of the divine.
Let yourself be seen,
let yourself shine.
You were born to be as you are,
It’s time to see and be seen
You are the grace looking out whilst looking within,
Beloved – you are

Do you feel that the ability to be Intimate or Vulnerable is a life skill to be learned, something that may come naturally to some people but not to others?

Whilst this is not actually the truth, it can definitely feel that way to many of us.

When we were very young it was natural to be, to be open, vulnerable, accepting, curious, and intimate with all of life around us – do you remember yourself as this naturalness?

What we may have learnt through our families, teachers, society and life experiences, was to become closed, protected, and to guard our hearts.

We may have learnt that it was not safe, that we might get hurt, that we may be shamed, or humiliated if we were exposed, showing our self fully. We may have learnt to become and live as a smaller limited version of ourself.

We may have felt fear, sadness and anger, we may have learnt to project, deflect and blame in order not to feel, or we may have become imposing and inflated, judging and justified.

Vulnerability and Intimacy requires of us to be, to be our natural self, to be true, to be open, to be real, to be seen, to feel whatever arises and to stay present.

To be Intimate and Vulnerable may feel as though we are learning a new way of being, rather than simply returning to our natural state – which is and has always been open, unprotected and free <3

And why would we even bother to feel any of this, why would we want to be exposed, to risk again?

The gift is, that we get to be our natural selves and in that, we allow others to be naturally themselves.

We get to show up authentically, to be accountable, to live honestly and courageously. We get to love freely, to have deeply nourishing relationships, to be seen and see others, to share openly – to be a presence of peace love and change in the world.

Intimacy and Vulnerability – being as you are, the willingness to see and be seen – living authentically.

We often use the context of our life as a reason not to be intimate, as a reason not to be vulnerable – whether its an intimate relationship, whether it is our family, our friends, our children, our colleagues, our business – we often use the context as the reason to not be vulnerable, to not be intimate.

Lets take a look at intimacy and vulnerability – what does that mean – Intimacy – if we have a look at that word intimacy – in-to-me-see – allowing someone to see in to me, and the willingness to see into someone else – really that is what vulnerability is – the willingness to let down the guarded-ness, to let down the protection, to stop having that push back or away in life, that push against, in order to keep ourselves safe.

I’m sure like me you want to be who you are, to live authentically, as who you are, in each and every moment, in every context.

You deserve to be yourself, to be and to be seen authentically and so do those around you. We all want and deserve to be real, to be authentic, to be seen, as we are – in our families, in our relationships, in our very intimate personal relationships, in our friendships, with our colleagues, in our business, with our work.

Are you willing to have a look and see what is that level of protection or that context that you use as an excuse to stop being vulnerable, to stop allowing intimacy?
Because really all it is ( intimacy and vulnerability ) – is being seen truthfully!

We all actually want to be seen truthfully, and to see others truthfully, as we all are.

What a beautiful opportunity we have here on fb whether its on the fb lives, the replays, or these posts, to deeply inquire into this.

How would it be to live your life, fully as you are, fully seen, real, exposed? That is what intimacy is – that is what vulnerability is – rather than hiding yourself from yourself and from others – really being here.

If fear or pain or shame or judgement arises, those emotions are all just fleeting, you have the capacity to feel them. If thoughts arise of past events, past ways of being, past circumstances, again the thoughts are all just fleeting, passing through – you have the capacity to be here just as you are.

Rather than using the context then as an excuse, there is the possibility to see that all of life is the same one life, all contexts eventually are seen as the one, rather than compartmentalizing yourself off into different aspects, different parts – allow yourself to be whole, here as you are – this is freeing and freedom.

Being as you are, the willingness to see and be seen – living authentically – what stops you ?
and what do you discover when you are willing to be seen, to be intimate, to be vulnerable ?

I’d love to hear and have you share with me what you discover <3 Yantra <3

Recently a friend was sharing a beautiful translation from a 16th /17th century Mystic of the middle ages – A Franciscan – named Angelus Silesius sometimes known as Johann Angelus Silesius – ( born: Johann Schleffler )

This quote : “ Gott spricht nur immer ya ! “

Literally translated means “God speaks only always yes !”

And then another dear friend shared this quote:

“I’m no longer quite sure what the question is, but I do know the answer is yes.” Leonard Bernstein

Neale Donald Walsh also shares that “God has a very limited vocabulary” and “the universe only ever responds YES”

How much richer life is when we say YES, when we know that God or Grace, This that is living us, living our life, is already always only ever saying yes – even the inner prompt of ‘no’ is only ever always this same yes – a yes to life, to what is.

Are you willing to discover and live from the YES to this life that is already here?

What would your life be like, if you lived from the truth of this? – that, God only ever always says yes.

A simple every-day act can be so profound if we are willing to experience it deeply.

Sitting here sipping a glass of water and I am reminded of the ‘Word for 2019’.

Having a word for the year is not something I usually do, however during our New Year’s Day gathering this year I asked the beloveds attending, if there was any theme or word that arose for the previous year and also if there was a theme or a word that was arising for this year.

What arose for me, was the word ‘Sacred’ and the question:

What are you being asked to keep Sacred ?
and
What does your heart hold Sacred ?

As I am sitting here sipping on a glass of water, the word Sacred once again arises and I’m deeply aware of,
the sacredness of the moment,
the sacredness of the liquid,
the sacredness of this body,
the sacredness of this life.

Feeling so blessed at the slow pace and revealing of the sacred in each and every moment – what about you ?

If there was a theme or a word that was arising for you for this year what might that be?

What are you being asked to keep Sacred ?
and
What does your heart hold most Sacred ?

Such a beautiful start to the year – enjoy a free gift from my beloved friend Brandon Bays of the Journey Method – from our hearts to yours <3 love Yantra <3

This beautiful and relaxing free 3-part audio download has been designed to lead you from the hectic day-to-day stresses to a place of quiet, peace and clarity. It will open you into the life force and magnificence within.

Reflections:
As I sit here quietly and reflect there are tears.
Tears of sadness? Maybe? Who can say?
Just tears.
As I open and soften even more deeply,
there is a sense of letting go,
a deepening into the heart,
into this deep well spring,
into the depth of being moved by life,
by all that has been,
all that will be,
and all that is and only ever now.
There is both a letting go in this surrender
and the arising of newness,
both a tenderness and excitement
all existing as love.
The reflection of form and formless
all arising to be met as the one.
May you continue to stay open to all that is here,
only and ever always – love.

Invitation – New Year’s Day Gathering – and – A Blessing from our Hearts to Yours <3 wishing everyone a grace-filled New Year 2019!!

On the 1st of January every year, we offer a day for beloveds to gather together in gratitude, to reflect on the year that has past, and to celebrate the New Year – we so look forward to sharing with you all, this year it will be 16 years that we have been gathering and sharing together in this way <3

We would love you to join us for a wonderful day of sharing food, chai, music, satsang and meditation. Your family, children and friends are welcome to join us.

Please bring a plate of vegetarian food to share, and whatever you may like to drink ( alcohol free ) we will provide Chai, tea and filtered water. You may also like to bring a notebook and pen and a musical instrument. As there is no set financial contribution for this day, we just ask that you make a donation of whatever your heart feels called to offer – 11am-4pm – please RSVP.

A Blessing to you from our hearts to yours for 2019 – in love, peace and joy

May this year be lived, every moment, with hearts full of gratitude and love.

May you experience renewed health and vitality, deep fulfillment in living each moment truthfully. May you feel the embrace of Love that is always here and the contentment that arises from being present to the moment, surrendered to what is.

May your relationships be richly rewarding, lived in open, truthful and abiding love. And may you savour the beauty that life is and the abundance that is available and present when we open our arms to receive it.

May your year be lived in gratitude and wonder to the miracle of life, living fully, passionately and joyously.
And may you live in constant awareness of the Freedom that is always here, that is your own nature, that is the eternal Truth of existence.

This is being written on the 30th Dec 2018 – As we near the end of this year, have you noticed there are so many posts about …… Being the best version of you in 2019 – or – Living your best life in 2019 – or – Love yourself into the new year …. Etc etc etc ….

What if you were to stop, stop all of that projection, and just be here now.
Be the best you, here now,
Live your best life, here now,
Love fully as you, here now.

There is no magic wand or gimmick or trick, that happens to transform you like it did with Cinderella as the clock ticks over from midnight to 12:01am on NY’s Eve

Yantra-ji and

Living Alignment

Originally born in England, immigrating to Australia as a young child, I grew up in Sydney. Through my early 20’s I searched for a deeper spiritual connection in life, working with health, wellness, self-development, spiritual practices, the creative arts and Rudolf Steiner education.

A deeper realisation occurred through the meeting of several spiritual teachers, which opened me to the possibility of This Grace that is always here.

A profound awakening came from the introduction to my true teacher Sri H.W.L. Poonja, affectionately known as Papaji.
His simple message, to Stop, to call off the search, you are already free here now, had a profound effect on my life.

My commitment is to support you in the realisation of the truth of who you are, this truth is always here, always available, at every moment.

Yantra-ji has been offering meetings in truth, Satsang and Self Inquiry for over 15 years, and is the Founder of Living Alignment, which has been created as the embrace of support for this direct discovery into the truth of who we are.